BEGIN engaging properly with Muslim organisations, Sir Keir Starmer was told by community leaders today.

A network of Muslim groups has written to the Prime Minister asking for an independent investigation into the far-right riots which targeted mosques and Muslim people.

The 80 organisations which have come together since to form the Islamophobia Action Group (IAG) also urge the adoption of an official definition of Islamophobia.

Linsay Taylor of Muslim Engagement and Development said: “We want the government to look into why the riots happened. [They] did not come from nowhere.

“We want the government to look into themselves, address social media and all the different facets that led to this.

“A review has to look at all of this and has to come to a real outcome with practical steps we can take. We now have to see how we can work to stop it happening again in the future.”

The letter to Sir Keir tells him that “the government must engage directly with legitimate, democratically elected representatives of Muslim communities, particularly the Muslim Council of Britain, to ensure that Muslim voices are heard and addressed.

“It is essential that the government takes immediate steps to build a strong, collaborative relationship with Muslim communities, fostering unity and ensuring that all groups feel represented and heard. This is a pivotal moment.”

The IAG wants the independent review to probe the role social media, political narratives and mainstream media played in inciting the riots.

Ms Taylor said: “We have to look at what happened here and how it managed to fuel the flames so horrendously to the point where people were stuck in hotels while they were literally being set alight.”

The council, which brings together over 500 Muslim organisations across the country, has been boycotted by the government for around 15 years, largely because of its stance on foreign policy issues. 

The Starmer government has yet to reverse the ban or meet with any other representative Muslim body.

The open letter calls for the government to adopt the all-party parliamentary group definition of Islamophobia as “rooted in racism and [which] is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “Islamophobia has fuelled the recent far-right riots, and the consequences are clear and dangerous.

“This is a critical moment to address the root causes of hate and to protect our society.”